Theoretically Speaking
by Cheeseburger of Doom
Summary: Kamio has been having those kinds of dreams lately. Momoshiro is a very unlikely go-between, but who else is he going to ask? And what does it matter why he's asking, he just wants an answer to the question!


A/N: Some drabble, just to satisfy my need for this pairing. Um, but I don't think it's satisfied yet. -- oh well.

****

Theoretically Speaking

There had always been something between them, since the first time that they'd met -- and clashed. They had a few things in common, true enough -- tennis, a bad temper, their burning hatred for Momoshiro (though that was something that they didn't share until a little while later, when Kamio actually met Momoshiro through an unfortunate series of events, including bike theft/borrowing -- depending on who you asked), and their love of all things cute -- like An or Karupin (though that particular interest wasn't something they realized they shared until much later).

After the first match that they played, there was definitely something there that couldn't be ignored. Afterwards, if they happened to encounter each other, there was that certain tension, that certain -- something -- that couldn't be described.

Kamio finally realized during his match with Sengoku -- when Kaido showed up, and seeing him was enough to make Kamio want to win -- that he wasn't going to get rid of the occasional strange dream he had about Kaido until he actually did something about it.

The dreams started after that first match, and they persisted; every so often (more often than he was comfortable with) that face would appear in his dreams -- usually with a grumpy expression and a few angry words. And then -- the dreams would get hazy. Kamio would wake up sweating, and --

He really needed to do something about it.

Kamio didn't really want to ask Momoshiro -- but Momoshiro was the only person he talked to on a semi-regular basis who might actually know.

"How could I get in touch with Kaido?"

Momoshiro's eyebrows joined together in a very high arc, and with much confusion, he asked -- "Why the hell would you want to get in touch with the mamushi?"

Kamio shrugged. "I didn't say that I did."

"So why are you asking?"

"Out of curiosity!"

"Why are you so curious about that guy all of a sudden?"

"How is that any of your business?" Kamio resisted the urge to throttle the stupid guy, and counted to ten. He really needed this information, even if Momoshiro was going to be a big idiot about sharing it. "Do you know how I could find him, or not?"

"Why would I know how you could get in touch with him?"

"You see him every day!"

"We're not exactly friends."

"What does that matter?"

"I still want to know why you're asking about this…"

"Stop asking that you bastard, and just tell me how I can find him!"

"I could always tell him to come here sometime," Momoshiro said.

Kamio made a noise that sounded like something deflating. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

"Because I wanted to know why you're asking about him."

"What the hell does it matter?"

"I'm not doing anything for you if you keep this up."

"I HATE YOU!"

(While this exchange was taking place, Shinji and Echizen both wondered why they had bothered to come to the street courts today.

"What are they doing?" Shinji sighed. "Those two are always arguing like idiots. I just wish they'd pay attention to their game once in a while. Maybe I should have been Kamio's partner, at least I could have tried to keep him from getting distracted."

Echizen shrugged. "You want to play singles for a while?"

"Sure.")

Kamio was nervous. He didn't know what he was going to say to Kaido once he got there -- he'd been trying to think of something for the past week, but to no avail. He should never have agreed to this. The whole setup was just too much like some kind of secret admirer asking for a date --

__

"Tell him to meet me here next week sometime. I'll come every night. Don't tell him it was me, though."

"Why not?"

"Just don't!"

"You're awfully picky for someone who's getting a favor out of me."

"Shut up, Momoshiro."

Why was Momoshiro doing him this favor, anyway? Could it be that Momoshiro actually thought of him as a friend, even after all the yelling, screaming and bickering they'd been through? Kamio might have been touched, had he not been so nervous about his impending doom.

He had spent most of the previous night in this exact spot, waiting; Kaido had not shown up. He might show up tonight -- but he might not. He probably wouldn't. This whole thing was a stupid idea anyway, so why would --

Kaido appeared on the far edges of the courts, looking in Kamio's direction with the usual scowl on his face. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked -- well, he looked good, actually.

"Momo told me you wanted me to meet you here."

"I told him not to tell you it was me!"

"I thought he was trying to pull some kind of trick," Kaido said. "I told him I wasn't going to fall for it, so he told me that you were the one who asked."

"Oh."

"Why do you want to see me?"

"I --" Kamio really should have tried harder to come up with something. "--I want a rematch."

"Why didn't you want me to know it was you?"

"I thought you wouldn't come," Kamio said. That sounded terrible; as if Kamio would have been crushed if Kaido had never shown up -- well, he would have. Why? What was it about Kaido Kaoru that was haunting him these days?

It was just that -- something -- that had been there since they moment they'd met.

"Will you play or not?" Kamio asked.

"I'll play."

Kamio breathed a sigh of relief, and picked up his racket.

Kaido won. Kamio was a bit frustrated; he'd really wanted to win this game, to show off; to gain some kind of advantage over this guy who had been ruling his mind lately.

"It was a good game. I should go."

"I wanted to see you," Kamio said, to Kaido's retreating back. He clamped a hand over his mouth when he realized he'd said it out loud. He felt like dropping through the ground when Kaido turned around and looked at him.

"You did?"

"I --" Kamio couldn't make any excuses. "Yeah."

"Oh." Now Kaido looked uncomfortable -- next would come the "I'm not gay, so just back off" speech. This whole thing must seem weird to Kaido --

"Should we meet again next week?"

Kamio blinked. "What?"

"We can play again."

"Sure." Kamio fought to keep a stupid grin from spreading across his face.

Kaido gave a little wave, mumbled something, and then he resumed walking away.

Kamio wasn't one hundred percent sure that what he'd heard were the actual words that Kaido had spoken -- but "I wanted to see you, too" had a nice ring to it.

There was definitely something strange between them.

Kamio had an especially strange dream that night. It was about Kaido; well of course it was, he'd fallen asleep thinking about Kaido. It was different from his usual dreams though -- because Kaido was smiling. Smiling at Kamio, to be exact.

Kamio wondered if he would ever get to see that smile in reality. He hoped so.

"So how was your date with the mamushi?" Momoshiro asked, with a grin on his face.

"It wasn't a date!" Kamio spluttered.

"Sorry, sorry." Momoshiro began to snicker.

"Did you really have a date with him, Kamio-kun?" Tachibana An asked, poking her nose in (as usual. She was very cute, and he loved her like his own sister, but…really). It was just a good thing that she hadn't been present when he'd asked Momoshiro to do him the favor of talking to Kaido -- she would have had a field day.

"No! It wasn't a date!"

Not strictly speaking, anyway. _I wanted to see you, too._ It may have sounded corny, but --

"Kamio-kun, you're blushing."

"No I'm not!"

"You are."

"AN-CHAN!"


End file.
